IHC Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri passed the order on a petition filed by the Naanbai association over the reduction in the price of Roti and Naan. The IHC had earlier asked the deputy commissioner to appear before the bench on Thursday.

During the hearing, a district administration spokesperson argued that district coordination officers (DCOs) had been authorised to fix the prices under an amendment to the relevant laws.

The petitioner’s counsel said that the federal price control fell under the prime minister’s monitoring, to which the spokesperson said that the controller general of prices and supplies would be appointed by the federal government.

He said the controller general was empowered to set the prices.

To which, the counsel contented that the notification had been issued under section 3 of the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act 1977, which did not give the controller general the power to fix prices.

Justice Jahangiri meantime asked whether a roti weighing 120 grams was selling at Rs25 in Punjab. The Islamabad spokesperson replied that the said rate was from another province.

The counsel replied that flour was expensive in Islamabad and rents were also high here.”

After hearing the parties, Justice Tariq Mahmood suspended the notification till the next hearing. The court also directed that the parties to submit detailed replies on the next hearing and adjourned the hearing till May 6.

After a brief hearing yesterday, the bench had issued a notice to the deputy commissioner and remarked. “Points raised need consideration. Notice to the respondents. [The] deputy commissioner…is directed to depute a senior law-knowing officer, well conversant with facts of the case to appear, in person, along with record in order to assist the court on the next date of hearing.”

Representing the association, the counsel submitted that no subsidy mechanism had been implemented in the matter in line with flour prices. In the current situation, over 3,000 tandoors in the capital territory were facing financial loss because of a decrease in the prices, the lawyer said.

The district magistrate issued the notification on April 15, 2024 without legal authority while exercising powers under Section 3 of the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977, he said pointing out that Section 3 of the act only authorised the federal government to issue such a notification.